2019-2020 MLB Non-Phillies News/Notes Discussion

[andyb]

Midlevel free agents starting to sign.
Eaton to the White Sox (1/7)
Santana to the Royals (2/17)

[zambonir]

Still a pretty good chunk of change for Carlos though obviously his DH role is assured. Very tradeable too.

[andyb]

If there is no DH then I am not sure what the Phillies want to pair with Cutch. Still think they could use a LH bat with more offense than Haseley. Without the DH though they could not guarantee someone like Eaton with enough playing time.

I am guessing they plan to spend only a tiny amount of money if they are looking for more of a reserve/PH.

[flyers19rw]

I guess that the NL has decided against the DH. Has the 26 man roster been eliminated as well?

[andyb]

26 was permanent. Supposed to be 13 position and 13 pitchers but I don't think they formally implemented that yet.

Teams are probably going to want extra pitchers because of the ramp up in innings from last year so imagine they suspend the 13/13 rule for this season at the least (though probably with a 14 pitcher limit).

The consequence for the Phillies is that all bench players need to be decent on defense. So no Schwarber. Dahl would be a better fit for the Phillies (though still probably too expensive).

[zambonir]

I think there will be a DH, it's just going to be a while before the two sides agree. I mean, they didn't come to terms last year until a week before summer camp opened.

Personally I still think there could also be a labor stoppage, though it probably won't have any tangible impact, since vaccine implementation will probably delay everything anyway.

And if there's no DH I also think you can still carry a bad fielder, but I won't drift into more Phillies-heavy thoughts.

[andyb]

Looks like McCann and the Mets are closing in on a 4-year deal. This does not change much on the Realmuto end other than eliminating a major suitor and reinforcing that he'll get at least 5 years if he wants it.

[Philsmania]

Realmuto will probably be down to the Phillies, the Blue Jays and a mystery team. Are the Phillies being smart with Realmuto or just getting lucky?

[zambonir]

The Mets owner is very different from our owner

At the moment, no agreement between the Mets and catcher James McCann. Still hurdles to be crossed, if they're going to be crossed.

— Buster Olney ( @Buster_ESPN ) December 9, 2020

Keep me up Buster

— Steven Cohen ( @StevenACohen2 ) December 9, 2020

[zambonir]

Realmuto will probably be down to the Phillies, the Blue Jays and a mystery team. Are the Phillies being smart with Realmuto or just getting lucky?

I guess you could call it smart, but it's not entirely on purpose. There's a ceiling on what they are willing to give him and a number/term at which they are willing to lose him. Same was true of Machado, and could have been with Harper (who wound up being slightly cheaper than expected) and Wheeler (who was maybe a hair more). The dumb part is that it got to this point (i.e. they should have signed him before the last arbitration).

By itself, the Mets being out of the equation is good for the Phillies. The Mets using some of that money saved to sign Springer, less so. If JT hadn't played for us (and cost us players) I'm not sure I wouldn't want the Phillies to do the same (and of course there's no reason to let those factors influence the decision at this point, other than optics).

[andyb]

Rule 5 draft day. One can feel the excitement.

MLB Rule 5 Draft: 17 names to know, including former top-five draft pick, pair...

Warren and Parkinson get mentioned on various lists. Warren seems a little more likely to me as a potentially MLB-ready LH reliever. Probably not a great bet to stick on a roster if they are not expanded though.

I wonder now if the Phillies pass. Ian Hamilton (who actually has an option left) may be a higher priority than anyone they draft.

[Philsmania]

I almost wonder if the game's supposedly brutal financial situation this winter may lead to Realmuto accepting a lucrative one-year "pillow" deal before trying again next winter.

[zambonir]

I'm not sure he can expect the market to get better next year. This season could still be tough (however much a lot of it is lip service). Will be a lot more stars available (even if they aren't catchers). And there may not even be free agent signings at all until there's a new CBA (which could be as early as December or as late as, I dunno, July?).

[zambonir]

4 years, $40 million. Moot now, and of course it's not a mathematical formula, but is JT really 150% better than McCann? Twice as good?

Sources: Mets, catcher McCann finalizing deal

[David_Criss]

If choice A is McCann at 4/40 and choice B is Realmuto at 4/100, I would have taken choice A, too.

[Florida_Sunshine]

I do not see Realmuto getting 4/$100M now.

[zambonir]

No, but I think he still gets 5/100. Unless it really is a market of one. And that $23.5-25 AAV is probably out of reach.

And he probably is that much better, but but when you're talking both past performance and projection, or you can spend that money on two players instead of one, it's a tougher bet.

If the Phillies could get him for 4/$80 million that'd be an easy call.

[zambonir]

Well, the Mets' GM hire, Jared Porter, really does become a bit of a litmus test. He's a Theo protege in both Boston and Chicago who then reunited with Hazen (who'd left Dombrowski's front office to take the D-Backs job). Not someone we ever seemed to consider (the Cubs and Angels did).

Dombrowski also has a history of not hiring a GM, seems safe to say he won't in Philly, at least not this year (he might not even have the budget for it, though one would think he'd be empowered to replace or add at least one assistant).

[zambonir]

The Rays' position is still split with Montreal or (I assume) leave entirely. They're also not worried quite as much about attendance as other teams.

He noted — ”tongue in cheek, but it’s the truth” — the Rays likely could (have fans) with social-distancing restrictions in place, though they would be happy to adjust if demand increases: “Most of our games are attended by less than 10,000 people, so we could probably for the most part run a normal stadium operation.”

Rays owner Stuart Sternberg focused on 2021 uncertainties, Montreal plan

And:

With no fans buying tickets and concessions, no revenue-sharing check from Major League Baseball and additional expenses through the postseason, Sternberg said the Rays took a massive financial hit, though he declined to specify how much.

“A number I wouldn’t have imagined to lose in a baseball season,” he said — more than if there had been a work stoppage and they didn’t play at all.

Worse, the impact will be felt not just in 2021 (with the team payroll expected to go down), but over several seasons.

“I think it’s going to be three to five years to where we’re able to sort of get a clear understanding of the new normal,” he said, citing local and league-wide revenues, ticket sales to fans and businesses, sponsorships and other data points.

[Philsmania]

The Cleveland Baseball Team will be getting a new name after 105 years.

Cleveland’s Baseball Team Will Drop Its Indians Team Name